Feature | Empowering Careers at Every Stage: Inside ACC's Leadership Programs
Leadership development is woven into the fabric of ACC's 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, reflecting the College's commitment to cultivating the next generation of leaders and serving as the professional home for cardiovascular clinicians worldwide.
Programs like Emerging Faculty Leadership Academy, the Clinical Trials Research Program, the Leadership Accelerator and the Sandra J. Lewis Mid-Career Women's Leadership Institute are examples of targeted leadership and professional growth opportunities that can lead to measurable outcomes like academic promotions, new program directorships, national leadership roles and successful career transitions.
Below are insights from program leaders and graduates on how these activities are transforming lives, advancing careers, and building local, regional and national leadership networks that will serve generations of ACC members to come.
The Rick Nishimura, MD, MACC & Patrick T. O'Gara, MD, MACC Emerging Faculty Leadership Academy
Thanks to the vision and leadership of ACC Past President Michael J. Wolk, MD, MACC, the Emerging Faculty Leadership Academy is celebrating more than 20 years. Dedicated to "educating the educators," Patrick T. O'Gara, MD, MACC, ACC past president and long-time education leader, says the program, is focused on providing early- to mid-career physicians with deliberate hands-on training around effectively commanding a room, distilling teaching points and articulating what a learner should take away.
For Eric H. Yang, MD, FACC, clinical professor of medicine and director of the Cardio-Oncology Program at UCLA, the Emerging Faculty Academy encouraged "ongoing self-reflection and lifelong learning that continues to this day." For Jennifer Cook, MD, FACC, medical director of the LVAD Program at Baptist Health in Little Rock, AR, and chair of the ACC Education Standards and Outcomes Committee, the relationships built with colleagues nationwide have enriched her membership in the ACC and provided opportunities to collaborate in leadership."
Building the Future. Together.
Many of these, along with other leadership and professional development programs, continue to grow and evolve thanks to philanthropic gifts to the ACC Foundation from ACC members. Learn more about the programs.
Visit ACC.org/Support to learn more about giving to the ACC Foundation.
Clinical Trials Research: Upping Your Game Program
This year-long program gives cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and doctorate-level researchers a behind-the-scenes understanding of running clinical trials alongside nationally recognized trialists, regulatory stakeholders and industry leaders. Two specialized tracks in Structural Heart Disease Research and Electrophysiology Research were added this year.
Janet Wei, MD, FACC, associate professor of cardiology and biomedical sciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and governor of ACC's California Chapter, says the program was "perfect timing," helping her to identify step-by-step actions required to reach her clinical research career goals."
ACC Past President Mary Norine Walsh, MD, MACC, says individuals interested in the program should demonstrate a research track record and documented institutional resources, including protected time, mentorship and infrastructure to carry trials to completion.
Leadership Accelerator
Aimed at early-career physicians and CV Team members, this 10-month program builds skills in leadership identity, executive presence, communication, conflict management and influence.
According to former Board of Governors Chair Malissa J. Wood, MD, FACC, the program includes concrete benchmarks of success ranging from advancement into ACC or institutional leadership roles to academic promotion and strategic career moves.
Mahesh K. Vidula, MD, FACC, of the University of Pennsylvania, credits the Accelerator with helping him launch an inflammatory heart disease program and providing an opportunity to meet incredibly talented individuals who he can now reach out to for clinical and professional advice. For Daniela Crousillat, MD, FACC, of the University of South Florida, the program strengthened her ability to lead with "confidence, purpose and, most of all, authenticity."
The Sandra J. Lewis Mid-Career Women's Leadership Institute
For women 12 to 21 years past cardiovascular fellowship, this two-year program pairs virtual learning with six in-person sessions at Heart House. Participants reassess personal mission, vision and values; build advanced leadership skill sets; network with experienced leaders; and cultivate lasting mentorship and sponsorship.
For Sandra J. Lewis, MD, FACC, the heart of the institute is its close-knit community of graduates, who equip one another with creativity, courage and confidence to navigate career aspirations and life challenges.
Yamini S. Levitzky, MD, MPH, FACC, says the institute made her "more intentional about advocating for her work, pursuing new opportunities and building a career that reflects her values." Carol Ma, MD, FACC, called the program "life-changing," inspiring her "to reach for my next" alongside a network of women cardiologists ready to make a profound impact.
This article was authored by Jina Chung, MD, FACC, and Andrew M. Kates, MD, FACC. Chung is a graduate of the Sandra J. Lewis Institute and professor of medicine at UCLA, director of Interventional Echo and CMR, and co-director of the Pulmonary Embolism Response Team at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. Kates is a graduate of the Emerging Faculty Academy and professor of medicine and associate chief for education at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. Both co-chaired an ACC.26 session on which this article is based.
Keywords: Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, CM-Sep-2026, Workforce, Clinical Trials as Topic, Leadership, Mentoring
